Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-09
A DAY DREAM

A UAf UkEAW
There is yet lovely, unspoiled sea-
side nook in our ever-altering and
supposed-to-be improving island.
Few tourists have even heard Of it,
and to prevent their encroaching upon
its peaceful territory and breaking it's
refreshing quietuIe, the secret OF its
whereabouts must remain a mystery.
It lies in tiny bay, all wooded
down to the waters brink, with green
hills rising at the back, and away to
the right there is good cover for game
in the thick, half-wild tangles
Of undergrowth, where the
white-tailed rabbits scurry about
BY hundreds, or sit summing
themselves in inanimate brown heaps
Of lazy luxury. A sudden bend in
land discloses a beautiful estuary,
which winds its way among the foot
.ofthe hills, looking soft and silent,
with scarcely ripple to move its sur
face.
Cottages are dotted about here and
there, covered with roses and jasmine
and clematis, and the gardens are
filed with flowers.
A picturesque old house stands
alone upon the rising ground overlook
ing the sea, sheltered from every
rough blast, with oranges and lemons
growing upon its walls. and myrtles in
full bloom under its abbey-like win
dows.
From the hills inland the view is
pastoral and idyllic; there is wood
of tender green larches, with back
ground of dark-blue pines.
Fields of waving golden corn, fields
Of emerald turnips and purple beets
and mangrel.
Hedgerows festoooned with wild
roses, bonny and elegantine, carpeted
with primeroses, violets and ferns.
Narrow winding lanes, all overhung
with trees, with rustic stiles leading
from them across the country, and in
the distance lay village, from the cot
tages OF which the white smoke went
up, like summer clouds, into the azure
sky; and the steeple of the old church
was peeping from among the many
generation-old trees.
Captain Bertram Berkely, who was
quartered with his regiment in the
same county, noticed it while out sail
ing in the regimental yacht, nesting
like tiny gem in its verdant setting,
and fancy seized him to pay it a
visit.
There.was not one of his brother
officers of his own standing whom he
did not poster to accompany him
thither till it became almost joke
among them.
"My dear fellow" demonstrated his
great friend, Hubert Falkner, "we
should be buried alive in such dull
place; why, there can be nothing on
earth to do there. Go, by all means,
if you want a fit of the blues, but
don't ask any one else to share your
fate"
Well, he obtained leave of absence,
and he did go.
They took him to the little bay in
the yacht, and put him on shore,
with his small portmanteau, promis-
ing to return for him that day week,
and sailed away again, laughing at
Bertram's folly.
The first afternoon he enjoyed thor.
oughly. Everything was so new, and
bright, and fresh, and lovely.
He found a quaint. ivy-clad little
inn, where the landlady was apple
checked and good-looking, and he en-
trusted himself for the week to her
tender mercies; and, having ascer-
tanned from her the prettiest walks, he
started out for round, inhafing the
sea breezes with avidity, and ended
his day upon the beach, where he sat
till dusk, lazily throwing stones into
the water.
That night he wrote to his friend:
''Dear Falkner-You were wrong
not to come; it is charmingl jolly
little inn and pretty little hostess.
Lovely walks all | want is COM
panion. You had better join me.
Yours, B. B."
But Captain Faulkner did not see it
in the same light, and Bertram
Barkely remained alone.
The day after he followed lane
which he had not noticed before. 1t
appeared to lead up the rough and
tangled undergrowth upon the hill
side, and he thought he might get
that way to sea.
Suddenly he stopped, for before
him lay home which was perfect
idyl. A many gabled, golden
matched cottage of considerable size,
showing on all sides the signs of affiu-
ence. It was covered with rare climb
ing plants; the very air was redolent
with the perfume of the roses of all
sorts, which clustered in every avail
able spot. .
The fences were rustic, and twined
with ivy ana Virginia creeper.
The lawns were smooth as billiard
table, and soft as moss.
The flower beds were filled with
blossoms; but it was neither upon
house, nor lawn, nor rustic work, nor
towers, that his eyes were fixed, but
upon the figure of girl of some twenty
years of age, reclining in a low garden
chair, intently reading book; and
the more he gazed the greater grew
his admiration.
She was totally unaware of his pres
ence, and it was evident that specta.
tors were not usual in that hidden
corner, all among the trees and hedge
rows, and tangled underground.
1t was quite surprise to find this
little paradise of perfume there, al
though some fairy had conjured 1t uE